Paws For Judah
Donation protected
UPDATE:
We have raised 50% of our goal and Beau has already changed Judah's life more than we could have imagined. We still have a ways to go, so all contributions of any amount, no matter how small or large, are greatly appreciated and are tax-deductible, as Paws For Judah is a non profit.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed and helped us so far!
Judah James Smith is an eight year old boy from Blairsville, Georgia. At first glance, Judah seems just like most other kids. He loves being outside, swimming, wrestling, all animals, and anything involving Toy Story.
However, the world is much more challenging for Judah than for most of us. You see, at age 2 he was diagnosed with autism.
Judah is happy, energetic, and just downright amazing . He captures the hearts of everyone who is lucky enough to meet him. But even with all of his family, teachers, and friends trying constantly helping, Judah is constantly putting himself at risk and has many needs that could be much better met if he were to own a Service Dog.
However, service dogs are very expensive, and that’s what this campaign is for ... we are hoping others will feel the urge to contribute to Judah's future. We are excited even at the possibility to give Jude such an amazing gift!
WHAT WILL A SERVICE DOG MEAN TO JUDAH?
Keep Judah From Running Away!
Judah also has trouble understanding safety and boundaries. He is quite curious and has a tendency to run away - and has managed to run away from home number of times (a common trait among autistic children known as “wandering”). He has not ever shown fear of strangers, highways, cars, water, etc.
As you can imagine, this can be quite dangerous anywhere we go - or even at home! One particular time he ran away from home and it took over 20 people to find him. By the time he was found, the police were involved and he was was over 2 miles away!
Service Dogs for Autistic children are trained to prevent wandering and will alert us the next time he tries to run away. Not only that, but it will also be trained to be able to track him if he does manage to run away!
Allow Us To Take Him Places
Because of his special needs, even a simple trip to the grocery store can quickly turn into a fiasco, as you have to hold Judah's hand constantly. Judah has grown up to the point where he is too strong for one person to handle alone - and since he constantly wants to run away - in a matter of seconds he can be running through a busy parking lot! This means that simple things such as going to church, going out to eat, and going to the movies are incredibly stressful and often impossible.
We want Judah to live life to the fullest. We want to be able to take him to places like the zoo , the aquarium, and even Disney World without the stresses and risks of him getting hurt or running away. A service dog will be tethered to him at all times while in public, preventing him from running away, which will allow us to take him to all these places he currently is missing out on!
Calm Him Down and Keep Him From Hurting Himself and Others
See, at seven years old, Judah can still only say a couple of words. This means that most things we take for granted are difficult for him, including simple things like asking for something to to eat, asking for help reaching a toy, playing with other kids … you get the idea.
This can be quite frustrating for him, as you can imagine, and often results in meltdowns and crying episodes that can last for hours. During these fits, he will often hurt himself or others, not even realizing what he is doing.
It is heart breaking to see Judah in such a frantic state, and the service dog will be trained to calm him down, diffuse the situation, and alert us if Judah is about to enter a state of self-harm.
Accompany Judah Everywhere
Judah is constantly at risk of running away, and therefore is constantly at risk of getting hurts. The service dog will accompany him everywhere he goes. School, the playground, restaurants, etc. His service dog will be tethered to him, preventing him from putting himself in harm's way!
We have raised 50% of our goal and Beau has already changed Judah's life more than we could have imagined. We still have a ways to go, so all contributions of any amount, no matter how small or large, are greatly appreciated and are tax-deductible, as Paws For Judah is a non profit.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed and helped us so far!
Judah James Smith is an eight year old boy from Blairsville, Georgia. At first glance, Judah seems just like most other kids. He loves being outside, swimming, wrestling, all animals, and anything involving Toy Story.
However, the world is much more challenging for Judah than for most of us. You see, at age 2 he was diagnosed with autism.
Judah is happy, energetic, and just downright amazing . He captures the hearts of everyone who is lucky enough to meet him. But even with all of his family, teachers, and friends trying constantly helping, Judah is constantly putting himself at risk and has many needs that could be much better met if he were to own a Service Dog.
However, service dogs are very expensive, and that’s what this campaign is for ... we are hoping others will feel the urge to contribute to Judah's future. We are excited even at the possibility to give Jude such an amazing gift!
WHAT WILL A SERVICE DOG MEAN TO JUDAH?
Keep Judah From Running Away!
Judah also has trouble understanding safety and boundaries. He is quite curious and has a tendency to run away - and has managed to run away from home number of times (a common trait among autistic children known as “wandering”). He has not ever shown fear of strangers, highways, cars, water, etc.
As you can imagine, this can be quite dangerous anywhere we go - or even at home! One particular time he ran away from home and it took over 20 people to find him. By the time he was found, the police were involved and he was was over 2 miles away!
Service Dogs for Autistic children are trained to prevent wandering and will alert us the next time he tries to run away. Not only that, but it will also be trained to be able to track him if he does manage to run away!
Allow Us To Take Him Places
Because of his special needs, even a simple trip to the grocery store can quickly turn into a fiasco, as you have to hold Judah's hand constantly. Judah has grown up to the point where he is too strong for one person to handle alone - and since he constantly wants to run away - in a matter of seconds he can be running through a busy parking lot! This means that simple things such as going to church, going out to eat, and going to the movies are incredibly stressful and often impossible.
We want Judah to live life to the fullest. We want to be able to take him to places like the zoo , the aquarium, and even Disney World without the stresses and risks of him getting hurt or running away. A service dog will be tethered to him at all times while in public, preventing him from running away, which will allow us to take him to all these places he currently is missing out on!
Calm Him Down and Keep Him From Hurting Himself and Others
See, at seven years old, Judah can still only say a couple of words. This means that most things we take for granted are difficult for him, including simple things like asking for something to to eat, asking for help reaching a toy, playing with other kids … you get the idea.
This can be quite frustrating for him, as you can imagine, and often results in meltdowns and crying episodes that can last for hours. During these fits, he will often hurt himself or others, not even realizing what he is doing.
It is heart breaking to see Judah in such a frantic state, and the service dog will be trained to calm him down, diffuse the situation, and alert us if Judah is about to enter a state of self-harm.
Accompany Judah Everywhere
Judah is constantly at risk of running away, and therefore is constantly at risk of getting hurts. The service dog will accompany him everywhere he goes. School, the playground, restaurants, etc. His service dog will be tethered to him, preventing him from putting himself in harm's way!
Organizer
James Smith
Organizer
Blairsville, GA